December 22, 2010

The news of this royal engagements are all over headlines everywhere! Prince William, son of the late Princess Dianna, proposed to Kate Middleton last month in Kenya. These two have a long running history of an "On again off again relationship" that always proved that no matter what they retreated back to one another. No matter the distance Kate and Prince William kept their personal squabbles to themselves and were loyal to their relationship.
This royal relationship has come as an utter surprise to everyone other that their immediate families as Prince William asked her parents for her hand in marriage. This 9 year relationship has finally reached the ultimate commitment, as their wedding is scheduled to take place late summer 2011.Queen Elizabeth, Prince William's grandmother is estatic about the engagement and is very proud that Prince William will be marrying Kate. She thinks she is a lovely girl, as the rest of his family adorea her.
Their relationship started as a genuine friendship 10 years ago as they were in college together in Scotland. They held a press interview just to
shed a little light on their recent engagement and express how happy they were this time has finally arrived. Prince William proposed to Kate with his mothers engagement ring. This is extremely sentimental as Princess Dianna expressed that she would love for him to give it to his fiance' if she would accept it. Kate graciously accepted and the two are pleasantly planning for the ceremony!
This will be an event to remember and already scheduled guests are: Elton John, a close friend of Princess Dianna's who is said to perform, The Obama's, and Sean Combs to mention a few.

December 13, 2010

Recently I learned about the International Climate Champions initiative of the British Council. The International Climate Champions initiative is part of a range of activities within the British Council designed to build understanding of and drive action on climate change.

In 2008 the program launched in 13 countries (Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States) and then grew to encompass more than 800 International Climate Champions in 29 countries.

In 2009 the program expanded to 60 countries across the globe, recruiting over 1,300 young people who are passionate about and committed to taking action on climate change. These champions are not only leaders in their communities but are also participating in international peer networks, both in person and online, to share ideas, projects and experiences. Participants range in age from 11-35.

I spoke with participants from Indonesia and China who were returning from the conference in Cancun. During their visit, they met with fellow participants from 28 countries as well as spending time with the government delegations from their respective countries. Young men in their late 20’s, one was pursuing graduate work in mathematics, the other a Fulbright Scholar working on his PhD in agricultural economics. When they complete their U.S. studies, they will return to home and work to motivate young people to advocate for, and devise solutions to the challenges presented by global warming.

To learn more about the program and initiatives, opportunities to lead, innovate, and research go to: http://www.britishcouncil.org/new/climatechange/.

December 9, 2010

As we wind down to the end of the semester, there are more than enough concerns for college students. The stress of exams, affording books for the next semester, and even more importantly affording to expense one’s education. There are major issues facing collegians are the rise in tuition costs. The tuition at UNC Charlotte has gone up this semester about $1700. I began looking online to see if this has become a major concern of other institution and I was suddenly surprised with my findings.

Tuition has gone up more for public institutions more than private institution for about 32%. This is extremely shocking because the expectation would be for the private universities and colleges to take the cake in the expense arena. Even more shocking I came across several international articles with collegians facing the same challenges of affordability with the rise in tuition. It is a known fact that a college education is extremely important in today’s market and economy, so we work vigorously to find the monies to be able to continue our dedication for a higher education. It can become very frustrating, which brings me to this very interesting article found published by the New York Times.

British Students were furious with the sharply rising tuitions fees. Mentioned by a French writer, British aren’t really known for demonstrating. “They simply don’t believe in it”. November 10, 2010 students apparently had reached their boiling points. They took to the streets in excess of tens of thousands of students and were very vocal and physical by vandalizing Conservative Party Headquarters.

This is extremely disturbing because I don’t think, we as a student should be forced to react so angrily with fighting for our tuition costs. It’s completely understandable that our fees are steadily on the rise, simply because the costs of everything in this economy has taken a substantial increase. The questions we pose have to do with the benefit to us as students. We want to continue our education so we can be positive contributions to society, but the financial burdens are becoming unaffordable, discouraging, and at times impossible. Will there ever be changes? It no longer local it’s international, and collectively we feel frustrated and defeated. Do we truly have a voice? If so, who is listening?

About Me

The Office of International Programs (OIP) is a hub for international engagement at UNC Charlotte. Whether you're interested in studying abroad, making a friend from another country, developing a better understanding of world issues or cultures, OIP facilitates these opportunities. Faculty, staff and students are invited to participate.